375 ruger for all around caliber?
- Thread starter James1873
- Start date
Right! ...... A 375 would not be my first choice for a single rifle here in Canada esp if you're not a handloader. I've owned several 375s and thought I would use them all the time. Such was not the case. Recoil, ammo cost and availability and carry weight soon takes the fun out of it.
As mentioned, a 308 in a lightweight rifle would be a far better choice. Get the 375 later.
You don't need (or want) that much gun... if you had just said "all rounder," I would have said, .300 WM... but you added, "under 200 yards," so I would go with the old standard .30/06... not flashy or new, but it certainly kills stuff quite dead from 1-300 yards... and with much less recoil and much cheaper and more readily available ammunition... and can be had in any platform you might fancy.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
A .375 Ultra is my preference, but any difference in terms of practical terminal performance between the two is mostly imaginary, particularly if both are fired from rifles with 20" barrels. The question then is, what is your experience with powerful rifles? No offence intended, but usually those asking for advice concerning this cartridge or that, don't have much shooting experience, and a full powered, large case .375 is a tough teacher. The uninitiated find they kick and bark, and they are intimidatingly expensive to shoot enough to gain competence with. Are you a handloader? If so you can ease your way up the power scale, and along the way discover loads that are practical for things other than buffalo. If not, I suggest you consider starting with a milder cartridge with a good reputation for versatility. Certainly the .30/06 comes to mind, as does the .280 Remington, or the .270 Winchester.
